Report Abuse
You have chosen to report the following comment as abusive, offensive, or inappropriate.
I am a Nurse Practitioner with 25 years of experience in critical care. I can vouch that a NP can absolutely assist with easing the primary care physician shortage. Many NPs do critical care and have the nursing instinct of looking at a whole patient and making very accurate diagnoses, both due to their education but also due to the experience level. I also know, despite the shortage, many MDs will not take this "encroachment" lightly. Here in Georgia, though the law for NPs to have independent prescriptive authority was written some time ago, the language of the law is still being debated, with the physicians of the GMA having a very difficult time relinquishing their control to professionals who have high levels of education and experience, such as NPs. PAs, however, graduate with prescriptive authority, with less than 3 years of education, though it is highly intensive. Who would you rather have write your prescription, a PA with less than 3 years of education, including their clinical rotations, or a NP with 25 years of clinical practice?
By Jackie
